Buddy up

Have you ever thought of living in the city with friends but can't afford it? Well, now you can. Buddy-up and find your ideal, long-term rental home in London with Harvey W James.

The most common reason for people deciding to rent a room in a shared apartment, over living alone, is simply because it’s much cheaper. It is well known that in today's day and age, renting property is becoming more difficult as the prices continue rising within our growing London real estate market.

Have you ever thought of joining forces with another person and renting a wonderful property together? While most people in London have considered this, it has not been a common idea and most businesses haven't invested their time into it

What is Budding Up?

Buddying Up can be every bit as successful as finding a room in an existing share, especially if you find the ideal housemate before you find the ideal place to live.

Buddy Ups are people typically looking for a room who would also be interested in getting together with other room seekers in their area, with a view to possibly forming a group and searching for suitable whole properties to rent. If you're struggling to find exactly what you are looking for at an event (or have met other room seekers you really like) then Buddying Up can be a great way of getting your ideal room, with flatmates you like.

To Share or Not to share: That is the question

Have you seen Friends? If, however, you missed out on the world’s favourite American sitcom, you’ve probably seen another, such as: Will and Grace, New Girl or The Big Bang Theory. These shows aren’t exactly true-to-life and tend to over-exaggerate things. They do, however, show us the beautiful friendships that can blossom out of living with other people. You spend a lot of time with your flatmates, if you choose to, and one or more of them may very well end up being a best friend for life.

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You’ll always know that, after a bad day at work, or even a after a great day, there’ll be someone at home who you can share it with. Someone who can cheer you up or someone who will help you celebrate! This will especially be the case if you and your roommates get on well. As well, if you’re new to the area, renting a room or sharing a flat with other people can be a fantastic way to make friends. Moving somewhere totally new is never easy. But if you have people around you who can guide you, help you and support you, then you’ll definitely feel less homesick! Even if you’re someone who isn’t particularly sociable, or you’re someone who likes to have your own space, it’s still definitely a wise thing to do. Even if it’s just for 6 months or a year, as it will help you build up a friendship group. Once you’ve done that, and you feel more settled, you could then look into renting a one bedroom place or a studio by yourself.

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There are plenty of other positive aspects to living with other people in a shared apartment! For one, you’ll always have someone to call if you lose your keys or you forget to take the chicken out of the freezer. There’ll be someone you can rely on to feed your pet while you’re away. You’ll also be able to share the chores! You won’t always be the one who has to clean the bathroom or take out the trash. That is, provided that your roommates are helpful and cooperative!

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What about if I disagree with my housemate

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It’ll always be true that renting an apartment or a house with other people, even if they’re your friends, will come with challenges. Sometimes, it’s just easier to live on your own. Even though renting by yourself is more expensive, it also gives you much more freedom. Only you can decide whether the perks of living alone are worth the extra money, or whether you’d prefer to save on your expenses and live with other people. There are several advantages and disadvantages of both and only you will know which option is best for you. Once you’ve finished making your pro con list and you’ve made your decision, get in touch with us.

What about the bills

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Taking everything into account, if you decide to share rather than to live alone, you’ll be looking at saving several hundred pounds a month. On top of that, the bills will also be shared between all occupants of the apartment, house or flat. The price of an internet contract is the same whether it’s for a one bed or a seven bed place – so that would be a shared cost for starters. Water and electricity bills will also be shared. Yes, you’re bound to use more of both with more people in the house, but more often than not, it still ends up cheaper when you’re sharing the bills.

How to split the bills with housemates

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Managing bills can be a headache for everyone, whether you live alone or in a shared house!

The good news is that there are many companies that take the fuss out of your shared bills so you can spend time on more productive things than spreadsheets and chasing flatmates for money.

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How does it work

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Companies like "Split The Bills" claim they will get rid of that stress by organising your bills for you. All you have to do is pay one monthly bill. They will even chase your lazy housemates for you.

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For more information on setting up, managing, and splitting your bills

Top websites for finding a flatmate

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So we thought we’d give you all a helping hand by sharing some of our pearls of wisdom on a few websites that we think are pretty nifty…

IdealFlatmate

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Ideal Flatmate is one of the newer websites in the flatmate hunting space but does an excellent job at finding you flatmates who you can really become your friends. IdealFlatmate serves more as a social network for flat-hunters rather than just a flatmate hunting tool. Ideal Flatmate offers a survey about your living habits to help quickly connect you with the right new flatmate.

EasyRoommate

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EasyRoommate helps those looking for a room or who already have a spare room to find a housemate. It allows those looking for a room to enter monthly or weekly budgets, area preferences, the type of room they are looking for, and even preferences of roommate. So if you’re a student looking to live with fellow students, or a young professional looking for like-lifestyle roommates, this site allows you to narrow your search in a few clicks of the button.

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Both parties are encouraged to write a description of themselves and what they are looking for in a roommate. Open discussion at the start of a rental period is something we at Locatable champion! Honesty and transparency are the key to housing happiness.

Spareroom

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Like EasyRoommate and IdealFlatmate, Spareroom is also all about finding rooms and housemates for people in need. But, unlike EasyRoommate where you can only search as an individual looking to fill or find a room, with Spareroom you have the extra option of “buddy ups”. This is where you can find other people searching for accommodation to find a house or flatshare with. So rather than searching merely as a spare wheel for an existing houseshare, which might seem daunting, you can also have a greater say or role in building a house or flatshare from scratch with other like-minded people (hopefully!)

Room Buddies

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Launched in 2006. Perhaps better than any other site, Room Buddies allows you to be incredibly specific about what kind of roommate you are looking for. Being asked about your sexual orientation is perhaps a little invasive, but we nonetheless like Room Buddies’ effort to increase information available to renters about their prospective roommates.

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What we particularly love is the opportunity on Room Buddies for you to place a “free room” or “room wanted” advert. Unlike the aforementioned sites, on Room Buddies you can advertise yourself or your room and then sit back and wait for a response. There is less pressure on you to cumbersomely seek out a room or roommate yourself by entering information and trolling through search results. Make a free advert, and they can find you!